What do you think of a group with an inside passage to rightwing militia, many of whom have been convicted of serious sedition conspiracies, dedicated to policing school and public libraries to purge what they believe are offensive books and lessons, effectively fostering a very White Nationalist agenda… calling themselves Moms for Liberty, where liberty and personal freedom are callously rejected and where large groups of minorities are denied rights they have had for years? So perhaps this is a good time to examine the true meaning of words coopted by the highly restrictive right, starting with the use of the words “patriotism” and “nationalism.”
An excellent discussion of the conflation and differentiation of these terms is found in the June 28th edition of The Conversation: “Patriotism encompasses devotion to the country as a whole – including all the people who live within it. Nationalism refers to devotion to only one group of people over all others… [Nationalism] is a person’s strong affinity for those who share the same history, culture, language or religion. Scholars understand nationalism as exclusive, boosting one identity group over – and at times in direct opposition to – others…
“The Oath Keepers and Proud Boys – 10 of whom were convicted of seditious conspiracy for their role in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol – are both examples of white nationalist groups, which believe that immigrants and people of color are a threat to their ideals of civilization… Trump has described the events that took place on Jan. 6, 2021, as having occurred ‘Peacefully & Patrioticly’. He has described those who have been imprisoned as ‘great patriots’ and has said that he would pardon ‘a large portion of them’ if elected in 2024.” The Conversation, June 28th. Believing that White Christians should govern and take primary control is anything but patriotic. It flies in the face of so many constitutional proscriptions (e.g., the 13th, 14th 15th, and 24th amendments), so one must assume that rejecting these fundamental definitions of American law is a rejection of the foundation of our country.
Likewise, the misuse of the words “freedom” and “liberty” – today used by autocrat wannabes like Ron DeSantis and the Moms for Liberty as meaning “freedom” from “woke”… which means White Christian “Americans” are “free” from demands from minorities, particularly of color, LGBTQ+, cultural materials they do not like, liberals and the assumption of human equality. In short, “freedom” from “freedom.” Donald Trump appointed Supreme Court justices who apparently lied to the confirming Senate committee vetting their qualifications and did what they said they would not do: reverse the Court’s own earlier decisions giving women power over their own bodies and protecting minorities seeking equality. With lifetime appointments and no ethical restrictions, these “justices” will reign terror over minority rights for decades.
The justifications for such anti-American vectors, from twisted readings of the First, Second and Fourteen Amendments to “protecting parental rights” are both toxic and fundamentally illogical. A single student or parent in Florida, for example, can set in motion immediate restrictions on books used in schools or held in public libraries. This effectively gives a tiny radical rightwing hegemony over everybody else, particularly including parents, students and teachers who oppose them. Entire subject areas, including completely accurate history lessons, face an equivalent fate.
With its seeming all-American name, “Moms for Liberty, a ‘parental rights’ group that has sought to take over school boards in multiple states, is looking to expand those efforts across the country and to other education posts in 2024 and beyond. The effort is setting up a clash with teachers unions and others on the left who view the group as a toxic presence in public schools.
“The group’s co-founder, Tiffany Justice, said during its annual summit over the weekend in Philadelphia that Moms for Liberty will use its political action committee next year to engage in school board races nationwide. It also will ‘start endorsing at the state board level and elected superintendents.’
“Her comments confirm that Moms for Liberty, which has spent its first two years inflaming school board meetings with aggressive complaints about instruction on systemic racism and gender identity in the classroom, is developing a larger strategy to overhaul education infrastructure across the country… As the group has amassed widespread conservative support and donor funding, its focus on education ensures that even as voters turn their attention to the 2024 presidential race, school board elections will remain some of the most contentious political fights next year.
“Moms for Liberty started with three Florida moms fighting COVID-19 restrictions in 2021. It has quickly ascended as a national player in Republican politics, helped along the way by the board’s political training and close relationships with high-profile GOP groups and lawmakers. The group’s support for school choice and the ‘fundamental rights of parents’ to direct their children’s education has drawn allies such as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a leading GOP presidential contender, and the conservative Heritage Foundation.
“The group has been labeled an ‘extremist’ organization by the Southern Poverty Law Center for allegedly harassing community members, advancing anti-LGBTQ+ misinformation and fighting to scrub diverse and inclusive material from lesson plans.” Ali Swenson writing for the July 3rd Associated Press. Dig a little deeper, and that extremist rightwing agenda becomes even clearer: “The organization is part of the Republican Party’s broader appeal as the home of ‘parental rights’ epitomized in DeSantis’s Florida — an agenda that has generally focused on removing books discussing race, sexuality or gender that are often written by nonwhite or LGBTQ authors. Some supporters of the agenda, including DeSantis’s press secretary, call its opponents ‘groomers,’ a term describing tactics used by sexual abusers [targeting children]. During their speeches to Moms for Liberty, both Trump and DeSantis attacked gender-affirming care for transgender youth, a popular plank for the GOP.
“Last month, Moms for Liberty was labeled an ‘anti-government extremist group’ by the Southern Poverty Law Center, a civil rights watchdog organization, while Vice reported on the ties between the organization and the Proud Boys, a far-right hate group. Trump disagreed with the assessment when he spoke at the conference, decrying the ‘radical left’ for slandering Moms for Liberty as a so-called hate group and calling its members instead ‘joyful warriors’ and ‘fierce patriots.’
“Philip Nel, a children’s literature expert and English professor at Kansas State University, told Yahoo News in May that he believes Moms for Liberty is a ‘fascist group,’ a term he says most accurately represents organizations that ‘scapegoat minority groups, spread misinformation and threaten violence against those who oppose them.’… ‘Censorship in the name of freedom is not freedom,’ Nel added. ‘A society that bans books is not a free society.’” Christopher Wilson writing for the July 3rd Yahoo! News. But as so many Americans do not look past the labels their candidates use to describe policies and practices they oppose, this misuse of words has a toxic power that threatens the very existence of American Democracy. China and Russia are smiling.
I’m Peter Dekom, and Americans not willing to look behind these words and phrases, a sizeable dumbed down portion of the electorate, are a threat to us all, even to themselves.
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